September 1, 2010

Hell is Other Fans

The Josh Wilson trade isn't my favorite move the Seahawks have ever made, but just from a brief survey of the internets, you'd think we just traded Dave Brown for a laundry hamper full of Ray Lewis' dirty jockstraps.

Look, on the merits, I'll freely admit we didn't get "enough" in return for Wilson. I'll also admit the move doesn't make the team immediately better. However, LEGIONS of Seahawks fans are already not only primed to throw in the towel for the 2010 season, not only declare the Carroll era DOOOOOOOMED, but also DECRY a possible 2010 playoff run as "lucky" and counterproductive to the team's long term interests (I'm not going to directly quote anyone, but spend 5 minutes on any Seahawks blog or message board, and you will see this sentiment bursting off your screen).

Say WHAT?

Here's the reasoning: Since Carroll/Schneider are building the roster "the wrong way," a playoff run in 2010 would simply be a mirage and convince the Front Office they are on the right track, setting us up for even greater failure down the road. The extreme version of this position, which I've seen posted by more than one person, is that making this "wrong move" is so deeply unforgivable, that not even winning XLV would make things entirely right.

I guess the converse of this is that these folks WANT the Seahawks to fail in 2010, so the team will fire Carroll and Schneider and draft their Twilight-like crush Jake Locker... I guess? The whole line of "reasoning" is pretty hysterical and stupid. It's reminiscent of what I've heard liberal friends say in the past, when they refuse to vote for Democrats and hope that under Republican rule things will get SO BAD that the people will finally rise up in glorious revolution (now you know why it's so hard for us Demmy-crats to hold onto power very long... a nice chunk of our base is very immature and short-sighted).

Seriously. My god... do these people have ANY idea how precious and special a playoff appearance is? You know.. that thing that the Seahawks only did ONCE between 1989 and 2002? The assumption that a 9-7 campaign that results in a home playoff game would be "lucking" into the playoffs really fucking irks me too... A 9-7 Seahawks team in 1983 made it all the way to the AFC title game.. a 9-7 team in 2006 was a missed open WR in OT from going to the NFC Championship game. You can't discount these accomplishments as "lucky." And if you do, you're shitting all over the cherished memories of this particular Twelve.

What I read a lot is some variation of "we have to burn the village to save it," that only by hitting rock bottom can we build this glorious, mythical Seahawks dynasty. You know what? Fuck a dynasty. I want ONE FUCKING RING. That's all. I don't care if it comes in a 9-7 campaign where we get hot like the '08 Cardinals, and then suck for half a decade afterwards. Win one goddamn Lombardi Trophy, and then maybe we can have "cloud talk" about building a "dynasty."

The bottom line is that I love the Seahawks, but I can't fucking stand a huge portion of the Seahawks' fan base. I can't fucking take the RELENTLESS fatalism and negativity that radiates off a lot of folks like a cloud of despair. Ever since I've been a fan, I've seen it over and over and over again: at the first sign of any trouble, they go all Eyore, moan "same old Seahawks" and wallow in self-pity and sadness.

I'll never forget when I was at the Wild Card game v Dallas in January of 2007... Remember when we failed on that 4th and goal midway through the final quarter? The mood in the stands got very ugly and very negative. When the granola guy in front of me made some comment akin to the game being over, I went shithouse on him.

“IT’S NOT OVER, GODDAMN IT!”

On the next play, Jennings forced Glenn's fumble, which turned into a safety.. and you know the end to that story...

So I say it again, to all of you: IT'S NOT OVER, GOD DAMN IT!

Can we at least fucking wait until the fucking GAMES START to declare this season a disaster? Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick... I am done with the vile knee-jerk defeatism of this fan base. If all you have to offer is dank, soul-crushing negativity, kindly fuck off and spread your bile elsewhere.

Who is fucking with me?

UPDATE: I didn't mean "Who is fucking with me?" in the context of "Who is screwing with my head." I meant it as "Who is with me?" with the word fucking used as emphasis. Sorry for the confusion! :)

14 comments:

I for one think that trading Josh Wilson will bankrupt our franchise for a least thirty years. And there'll be an outbreak of cholera. And cats and dogs will be living together. Josh Wilson was ready to lead us to the Superbowl. His never-ending injuries and inability to play a full season were simply a cover for him being Darrelle Revis in disguise.

I mean it's either that or the staff thought there were better alternatives...

I have faith in Carroll and Co., but man it seems like a gamble. In addition to losing our second best corner, we've also lost our best kick returner. I hope Leon Washington returns to form, and Walter Thurmond develops into the beast Carroll expects, but they're both less than a year away from exploded legs, and a risk.

That said, with a few breaks, I still expect us to take the NFC West, as long as Okung's high ankle sprain heals up nice and quick.

Just like you pointed out when Sims got traded to Detroit: "Ohh Nooooooosss, they're dismantling our crappy, crappy team!!!"

Trading away a contributor to a pass defense that was 30th in the league last year don't break my heart. He made some great plays, but was also instrumental in giving up more great plays to the Forces of Evil than he made.

And he would have demanded starter money next year, as a nickel back and kick returner. And he would have walked to some other team that doesn't have our depth at the position (brought in or kept on by the same guys who traded him, by the way). And we'd have got NOTHING for it, and nobody would have given it a second thought.

Jumping to the conclusion that every little thing is the end of the fucking world is why we get so heavily medicated in this town. Stands to reason that a significant portion of the fanbase is that whining bunch of Chicken LittleDouches that hate everything as a matter of course. They hate it when things are less than perfect, but they hate it more when any improvement is attempted.

Lots of people are only happy when they're miserable. And lots of people are stupid, too.

Anyone else notice that, between what we won't have to pay Pistol, and the restructuring of Meathead Leroy Hill's contract, it frees up enough money to sign long term deals with a bunch of talented ZBS linemen? And a big, ZBS RB or 2?

My initial reaction was "WHAT?!?" just because he is one of my favorite play-makers on the team..

Also, would have rather set him in a game at nickel than Babs, who hasn't shown much lately..

I still feel kind of pissed about it, as the compensation wasn't right (4th/3rd makes more sense), and the guy is a flat-out ball hawk.

BUT, there are always two sides to the coin. A fear of mine is that our backfield got a TON more green, and reliance on rookies is a little scary...Plus, Jennings?!? Am I crazy, or is Wilson a far better corner?

I think you should look at it like this though DKSB...Our fan base cares TOO MUCH. It's the end of the world if we lose a player that we become emotionally attached to. END OF THE WORLD. Same with Tapp, Burleson, etc.

I think what you can get from this is that we have the most passionate fanbase in the universe. Some people handle things irrationally, while others try to make sense of it. It's the same for funerals...Some people cry, while others crack-up. Obviously, not as severe, but you get what I'm saying..

I'm personally going to miss the guy, and wish we could have received more for him. But at the same time, it is what it is. Maybe Thurmond and Jennings have shown enough for the coaches and they feel comfortable enough..

I always go into the season believing that the Hawks can win 16 games.

Last year, when the Seahawks were 5-7, I still felt that they could go 9-7, and make the playoffs. I have always had such a positive outlook on the Hawks that one friend said I probably queef rainbows.

I've always felt that Jennings was a better COVER corner than Wilson. Wilson was the better OVERALL cb because he was a better tackler, and he was more aggressive.

The one thing that allows me to sit back, and wait to condemn, is that I don't work for the Hawks. I feel that they know something about player performance that I don't. Of course I forget that at times and spout verbal diarrhea, but I'll wait for now to see where Wilson is in a year, or becomes a pro bowl caliber player, before I shoot myself in the foot.

As a member of the Field Gulls community (and therefore, I guess, one of the fans you're referring to), I feel the need to explain my position. First of all, I hated the trade. As I said in that "irrational reaction" thread on FG, trading somebody like Pistol-who has proven himself to be at least worth a second-round pick seeing as how that's when we grabbed him-for, at best, a fourth-rounder is colossally stupid decision-making. While the move itself won't, necessarily, mean that the 'Hawks are doomed to finish with the worst record in the NFL, but the continuation of those types of moves (i.e. trading, say, Brandon Mebane for a fourth-round pick) could.

I do also want to state that I would be thrilled if the Seahawks won the Super Bowl this year or even if they got into the playoffs. I just feel that doing so may cause Schneider to continue to make such moves because he believed that it helped the team to its success. It makes me wonder whether or not that's true and whether having a poor season may make him rethink his decisions.

Even in all of your optimism, Johnny, you have to admit that there's a reason that we only won 9 games total in the last two seasons. We're really not a very good team. Our starting QB is turning 35 next month and has missed 11 games in the past two seasons. We're lucky to be in the NFC West that has the worst team in football and two teams who have horrible starting QBs. There are many other divisions in the league were we would simply be outclassed and, most likely, left in the dust that's why I worry about trading one of our few solid players, especially when he gave us depth at a position where we've struggled for years. That said, the Seahawks winning is enjoyable for me and frankly I could care less if they miss out on Jake Locker.

The last thing I wanted to say is that I don't want Carroll and Schneider to fail. I've always liked Carroll, even though I'm a Huskies fan and he coached a USC team that consistantly kicked their butt. He's a fun guy to watch during the games and I'm sure he's a fun guy to play under. I was also at least somewhat excited when Schneider was hired becaused he seemed like a smart enough guy. And obviously I would never want the Seahawks to do horrible, as much as it may seem like I would.

Anyways, that's my little "explanation". I hope you don't feel as though there are thousands of those fans out there who want the team to fail because there really aren't. I also hope you don't hate Field Gulls because of that thread the other day and I hope that you'll continue to write your occassional post over there. I'm sure the other Field Gullers would agree with me on that.

Coach,About the team not being good the last two years... Hoo boy am I aware of that. In fact, that's one reason I can't get that upset about getting rid of a lot of these players. It's not like Carroll is breaking up the 1986 Giants here... I also think it's hyperbolic and unfair to call this trade "colossally stupid."

We traded a nice little player (who happened to be a fan favorite- Let's not forget that part of this equation), who was probably going to start at CB this year but then leave town. He wasn't a "fit" for Carroll's defense, so he wasn't going to get that big contract from the Seahawks in 2011. Will his absence lose games for the Seahawks this season? Maybe. Maybe not. This is sort of the crux of my position: WE DON'T KNOW YET. Thurmond and Lewis could replace Wilson's performance, or they might not.

Does it come down to what they got in return? Sure, I'd have loved to get more for Wilson, but I think an eventual 4th rounder is ok.

Any new management team is going to shape the roster towards their philosophy; If they sell players who don't fit this philosophy at a discount, in order to make room for players that do, no one should be surprised.

What I REALLY don't get is ANY variety of "it would be better if the team didn't make the playoffs." There are so many levels of self-defeating weirdness here, including the complete discounting of the notion that IF THE SEAHAWKS SUCCEED, THE FRONT OFFICE DESERVES SOME CREDIT.

I think there is perhaps a fundamental disconnect here: To me, a season where your team makes the playoffs is, by definition, a successful one. Sure, if you go deep in the playoffs, it's more successful.... But any NFL coach will tell you their first goal is to win their division, then hope for the best beyond that (unless you are Rex Ryan, then you want to "lead the league in fuckin' wins").

I get the feeling that a lot of fans at Field Gulls think that if the Seahawks FO is not CLEARLY building a Patriots/Colts-type juggernaut, everything they do is worthless... That's simply not reality. This is an imperfect, inexact science, and to a great degree the best we can hope for is having a team that is competitive. Dominance is not something you can really make a blue print for, not with 31 other organizations also reaching for the same goal.. Oh, your team might become dominant, but if it happens it's because of a lot of things out of the organization's control.

As for your continued dissing of the NFC West, I've pointed out before that 2 or the last 5 NFC Champs are from our division. Let me also point out that since realignment, NFC West teams are 9-9 against opponents outside the division in the playoffs. A great record? No. But also it's not like the NFCW is AAA ball compared to the rest of the NFL as you seem to be arguing.

As for Field Gulls, I don't know what I am going to do. It's the biggest and best Seahawks blog out there, and I certainly benefit from my association with it... I just wonder if what Morgan is trying to do over there and what I am doing over here sync up very well any more... We'll just have to see.

I just think that you're kind of taking this out of context, you know? A lot of that was just a reaction to the trade. I haven't been a fan as long as you have, but I've grown up as a fan of Seattle sports too. I know that Seattle has one of the most passionate fan bases in the country, especially 'Hawks fans. You should know, you haven't missed a game in what, 25 years or something? The point is that myself, as well as most of the Field Gullers were probably just overreacting. Diehard fans tend to do that. When your team makes a great move it means that they're going all the way; when they make a bad move it means that the franchise is doomed.

Take for example, the Mariners blog USS Mariner. Back in 2006, when Bill Bavasi, king of the bad acquisitions, traded Rafael Soriano for Horacio Ramirez, one of the worst Seattle trades in recent memory, the place went crazy. People acted like they were going to commit suicide, the authors could barely even write about it because they were so shocked. It was bedlam. The trade didn't ruin the franchise, but we acted like it would. Because we knew that the guy running the team had made the decision to deal a solid, young reliever for a player who was far below what he was worth. As you said in one of your recent posts, "we are emotionally connected and committed to a sports franchise". You live and you die with your team. Of course this move won't ruin the franchise, but it was a bad move so you have to expect fans to start shouting about how we're doomed because that's just what happens. On that note, Field Gullers aren't all that negative type of fan that you hate. In fact, you should go read the threads from the draft. It was the exact opposite of the Wilson post. Everyone was happy, claiming that Schneider and co. were going to lead us to a Super Bowl. It's the same thing and I just hope you can actually see that.

Coach,I'll be watching the game on my computer and doing some live tweeting... I rarely have time to do that AND go over to FG... Hope you are right about the change in tone... I get the feeling that any time someone in the secondary fucks up tonight the bile will spew over there... Guess we will see.

Meet Your Blogger

I've been a Twelve since 1983 (and I haven't missed a game since then). I've been a season-ticket holder since 1997, and I've been writing this blog since 2008. My all-time favorite Seahawks player is Dave Krieg, and my favorite current Seahawk is Russell Wilson. Thanks for stopping by! -Ramona P.